Italy: 23 American CIA Agents Convicted For Kidnapping

Yesterday, Italy’s Constitutional Court convicted and sentenced 23 CIA agents and 2 Italian secret service agents for the kidnapping of  Abu Omar, an Egyptian Muslim cleric, under the CIA’s extraordinary rendition program. In 2003, Abu Omar(see photo) was kidnapped from a street in Milan and sent to Egypt where he was tortured.

This is the first trial against agents involved in the controversial rendition program, set up by the Bush administration, under which terrorist suspects were abducted and sent to a 3rd country for interrogation. The accused were not present during the trial, and are unlikely to serve their sentences. The CIA’s Milan station chief at the time, Robert Seldon Lady, received an 8 years prison sentence, while the other American received 5 years. The two American masterminds of the abduction were acquitted due to their diplomatic immunity status.

The verdict did not please Washington. The CIA declined to comment on the convictions, while US State Department spokesperson Ian Kelly said that “Washington was disappointed by the ruling”.

“Our view is that the Italian court has no jurisdiction over Lieutenant Colonel Romano and should have immediately dismissed the charges,” said Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell.

The ACLU calls on the United States to hold those involved in the illegal rendition and torture of detainees accountable for their actions.

“The decision in Italy underscores the need for the US to hold its own officials accountable for crimes committed under the extraordinary rendition program. It is shameful that the first convictions of this kind come from a foreign justice system, where those convicted are not likely to serve time. The US judicial system must provide similar measures of accountability to hold those who committed crimes in the name of the American people responsible for their actions, and provide victims of torture with access to justice,” said Steven Watt, an attorney for the ACLU human rights program.